Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-07-14
EgLL NYE, THE FISHERMAN.
BATES His Hook for Mermaid and Catches
Bad Dream.

Bill Nye has been angling again for
the New York World. He says: Fish
may be divided into two great classes,
viz, fresh-water fish and saltwater
fish. Fresh-water fish are caught in
fresh water and saltwater fish are
taken in salt water. 1t is from this
that each derives his or her name, as
the case may be. Up to about the
middle of this month the Goldfish is
liable to bite if imposed upon. He
then ceases to do so until July, when
he again resumes. TIE cod, when
taken from the water, is not ready for
market. as | had supposed, but is in a
very different condition from that in
which we find him at the inland
grocery stores.
Shortly after the cod is caught plain
men from the common walks of life
remove his works, after which he is
sailed and pressed in a large book like
an autumn leaf. After this he enters
the home life of the American citizen
and fills the air full of redolence.
I went out fishing the other day with
a party of ladies and gentlemen on
board the Bay Ridge steamer. Be-
tween 1000 and 5000 sea bass were
taken in IA few hours off the Jersey
coast. though, strictly speaking, the
bass were not actually taken of the
coast, but out of the wet.
The purser OF the Bay Ridge, who
is very proud of his boat, said that
she looked very well now, but not so
neat as he liked to see her, because
people who caught fish mussed boat
up so. Then everybody felt ashamed
OF having caught fish and Uttered up
she boat, except the author of these
lines.
was going to say that [ did not
muss up his boat with anything in the
dsh line, but [ did catch something or
other out of the bottom of the sea
that the captain said he would call "a
Ssh if it would make me feel any
letter.
About IL o'clock a. IN. as we were
standing off Sandy Hook and the pur-
yeyor of beer on the main deck, while
in -steenth latitude and not far from
the First National Cholera Banks, /
had bite. With rare foresight had
not only wrapped the cold and pulse
less -cature: # the clam about by
hook IN seductive manner, but had
given it dash of red pepper and a
squirt of lemon juice, for fish are not
utterly without those finer feelings
which come to all of us, and / didn't
know but | could catch mermaid.
Nothing would have pleased me more
chan comin., up Park row about
O'Clock with young and blithesome
mermaid hanging by willow stringer
over my shoulder.
But is was something else that | got.
1 called the attention of every one to
the fact that [ had a bite. That
heightened the effect when | pulled to
the surface IF the water a speckled,
warty, red-eyed, feverish fancy. 1t
was the kind of curiosity that anybody
can catch without going out of New
York Harbor, if he will use the right
kind of whisky. Most everybody
seemed pleased when | pulled the
nightmare out of the water. 1t is sim
gular how little it takes to amuse some
people
| was encored, but could only bow
nay thanks to the admiring audience
that threw CLAIMS at me and seemed
real pleased. Everybody else seemed
to enjoy it better than | did. That
was because everybody else didn't
have to reach down among the bron-
chiai tubes of that marine toad and
get t.c hook out.
At first | put my foot on him and
tried to secure the hook, but he felt sc
queer under my foot and r:ade such a
disagreeable noise when | stood on
him that | left the hook hanging in
the roof of his mouth and bought an
either one.
| did not fish much more, though.
Dl:ce | tried to catch something by
hating my hook with the eye of q
Wall street man who was fishing just
belo,. me, but [ did not succeed
Ther. rs the ship began to roll [ went
inside where / could be alone.
/ WAS alone about an hour. commun-
ing with myself and bringing up
things that | had forgotten. But l
viii not write out for the World de-
scription of what was so closely identi-
fled with myself, yet of so little inter-
est to the world at large. Every man
has concealed within himself much
that he does not show to his fellow
man, but | sometimes think that Il
little trip on the bosom of the billowy
sea can do a great deal toward break
ing up our naughty reserve, and really
drawing us out of ourselves.
/ had thought some of going abroad
next year for the purpose Of meeting
few foreign powers that cannot get
away very well to come and see me;
but have decided now that, If | 60
at all, it will be early in the spring,
before navigation opens.